The
one HR technology-related question I get asked most frequently is some
variation of "Which vendors have the best solution for (insert your HR
process area)?", or said differently, "Which solutions should I
examine for my particular problem or area of need?"

So
for anyone who wants my official answer to any form of the question, "Which
HR technology solution is the best?" here it is . . . . wait for it . . .
wait for it . . .

The
answer, (drumroll, please) is "It depends."

The
best solution for a given organization is quite likely different from the best
solution for another -- even largely similar -- organization.

Unlike
many commodity purchases, the HR or workforce technology that is "right"
for one organization is often highly variable and dependent on a number of
company specific factors, which usually will be distinct and important enough
to make selecting the best software a complex and difficult process.

Since
I can’t claim to know the "best" solution for your situation, I can
try and help by pointing out a few (five to be exact) rules of thumb that are
generally applicable in all HR-technology evaluation and selection processes.
Hopefully, these can help you to make your own informed, and unique decision
about software.

1.
There isn’t a "Yelp for HR technology" . . . yet.

While
there are some nascent attempts, (G2 Crowd, TrustRadius), at establishing a large set of Yelp-like crowd-sourced
user reviews for enterprise or HR technologies, the truth is that, in general,
the HR software market is still a little hazy. Finding reliable, vetted, and
unbiased or independent reviews and commentary on most enterprise technologies
is as difficult today as it has always been. So the key is finding sources you
can trust and making sure -- even for the "neutral" sources such as some
analysts or consultancies -- that you become aware and informed of any potential
biases or conflicts of interests up front. I’m not saying not to trust these
sources, but "trust but verify" is probably the wisest approach.

2.
User experience is important, but it means different things to everyone.

There
is no doubt that HR software that is easy to use or provides a consumer-like
experience is currently in vogue. But while it is fairly easy to claim that a
solution is easy to use, it is much harder to actually prove that to be the
case. It is not at all easy, and probably not proper, to make blanket or
one-size-fits-all usability claims or conclusions.

In
many ways, ease of use is reliant on the people involved -- the tasks they need
to accomplish, their familiarity and proclivity with technology, and even the
personality and culture of the organization. What constitutes "easy to use"
for one set of casual users could be lacking features or have insufficient
capability for more advanced or power users. Bottom-line, ease of use alone
won’t necessarily lead you to the right solutions.

3.
"It’s on the road map" is not a great answer, although it might be the
answer.

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I
once joked that the most common software-vendor answer to any question about a
missing or incomplete product feature is "It’s on the road map."
While (sort of) funny, it also points to one of the many challenges with modern
enterprise software-balancing the desire to keep products usable, stable and
easily implemented with the incessant need to build additional capability and
close any functional gaps. Probably more important for you, the HR technology
customer, is not what specific features are "on the roadmap", but rather
the vendor’s history and track record of delivering these features when they
were promised. And some features never make it off of the road map slide decks.
A good rule of thumb: Be extremely careful betting on the road map, especially
for any "must-have" product capability.

4.
Vendor viability is important, and is not always easy to measure.

Most
vendors will continue to paint a rosy picture of their prospects and financials
right up until they are acquired or disappear. Their results could be seemingly
trending in the right direction, but at the same time, they could be facing
trouble behind the scenes. For privately held vendors, getting a full or
complete view of their financial health can be tough, and even for publicly
traded ones, knowing what to look for can be a challenge as well.

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Also,
when a start-up HR technology company has venture capital or other outside
investors, it can sometimes be a little unsettling for the tech company. If the
external investors are pushing for a quick exit or return on their investment,
that can prove disruptive for their end-customers.

So,
when undertaking due diligence, review company financials and quarterly
filings, but also be mindful of other measures of viability and stability such
as cash flow, loss of key leaders and employees, and presence (or lack thereof)
in industry events and forums.

5.
The ecosystem around a product might be as important as the product.

By
"ecosystem," we are really talking about third-party system
integrators or consultants, independent product experts, user forums or
LinkedIn groups dedicated to the product, and, naturally, other customers.
Technology solutions that might seem a little long in the tooth often have the
advantage of pretty deep and entrenched support mechanisms that will likely
help to keep them viable longer than it would seem on the surface. Even the
vendor’s own internal "ecosystem" matters -- ability to deploy,
support and provide training for brand new products is often lacking, as it
tends to place most of its effort and energy on getting the new product
generally available, while shifting focus to implementation and support later
in the product lifecycle. Your takeaway should be to consider the size,
maturity and depth of the broader community that surrounds any HR technology.

While
your organization’s specific circumstances will vary, and the "right"
solution for your situation and challenges is something that, ultimately, only
you can determine, there are some pretty universal and enduring concepts about
HR and workplace technology that all organizations can apply. How you value,
prioritize and allow others to influence your eventual software selection is up
to you, but by understanding some of these basic premises, you can at least
arrive more confidently at your unique outcome.

Steve
Boese is a co-chair of HRE's HR
Technology® Conference and a technology editor for LRP
Publications. He also writes an HR blog and hosts the HR Happy Hour Show, a
radio program and podcast. He can be emailed at sboese@lrp.com.